Begin text here:»Cora
Call Whitley, prominent conservationist and club woman, was born on May 7, 1862
in Rowelsburg, West Virginia, to the Reverend L.N. Call, a Baptist minister,
and Mary (Guyon) Call.The family moved
to Iowa in 1867 where Cora Call attended public school in Hampton and Webster
City, graduating from the Cedar Valley seminary in Osage.She taught high school in Webster City until
her marriage in 1882 to Dr. Francis E. Whitley.Their three children were Gladys, Grace, and Guyon.Dr. Whitley died in 1918 and Cora Whitley
remained in Webster City until her death in 1937.Cora Whitley was widely recognized for her pioneering role in
conservation, her organizational ability, and her gift as a speaker.

Whitley was
active in church organizations, local women's clubs, the Daughters of the
American Revolution (D.A.R). and numerous state and national
organizations.She was well-known for
her involvement during World War I as the state chairman for the Women's
Committee of the Council of National Defense, working to organize women in Iowa
for various phases of war work.She
also assumed leadership positions in the Federation of Women's Clubs of which
she served as Iowa president from 1915-1917.Whitley later became a prominent national leader of the General
Federation of Women's Clubs' conservation activities.One of her special projects was the "Outdoor Good
Manners" campaign in 1925.Whitley
died on December 20, 1937.She was
honored for her conservation work with the establishment of the Whitley Forest
at Lake Ahquahi State Park, near Indianola, Iowa.

The Biographical information series (1921-1937)
contains newspaper clippings about Whitley's life and activities, some of her
writings and speeches, and correspondence not related to specific projects.

Whitley's activities during World War I are included in
the Council of National Defense Women's Committee series
(1915-1917).The series comprises
general information about the national and state organizations as well as
information about specific programs and committees, including the Child Welfare
Committee, Children's Year, and Weighing and Measuring Tests.Both the organizational and program
materials include correspondence, newspaper clippings and memoranda.

Whitley's environmental concerns are highlighted in the Conservation
series (1920-1936) which includes publications of the General Federation of
Women's Clubs; information on Iowa issues; and national concerns including the
"Outdoor Good Manners" campaign, forestry and tree planting programs
and the activities of the Izaak Walton League.A number of pamphlets and publications on conservation issues completes
the series.